Helping Hands
by chrisfaithalin
Summary: Rachel comes over to Puck's house to ask him to rejoin Glee. In turn she finds out about him raising a baby for the last four months. First chapter takes place 9 months-ish after Sectionals. Spoilers for Sectionals. Now a multi-chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

Helping Hands:

She took purposeful steps towards the house, trying not to let her nerves get the better of her. She raised her hand, willing herself to knock on the door. After a second's hesitation she followed through, giving the door a couple quick raps. She stepped back, placed her hands in front of her, and waited for someone to answer the door. A few muffled noises emanated from the house before the sound of footsteps reached Rachel and finally the door opened.

Noah was almost unrecognizable, she thought to herself. He had forgone the Mohawk, instead his hair was a plain, short buzz cut. He had a little stubble on his face. His trademark dark eyes had deep shadows around them and he looked completely exhausted. His demeanor was not cocky or confident, just impatient. He sighed and simply asked, "why are you here Berry?"

It took him a second to recognize her. She had cut her hair to shoulder length and she hadn't straightened it, letting it fall into natural waves. She was wearing a cotton, blue sun dress that showed off her summer tan. No brightly colored school girl outfit was in sight. She knew she looked different than last year. With all of the drama that had happened last year and having her heart broken for the first time was enough for her to mellow out. She tried to be more relaxed, natural in hopes that her intensity would not intimidate others and get her in trouble.

"I'm here on behalf of Glee club. Yesterday was the first practice of the Glee for the new school year. We have had some new members, but with graduates and people moving…" His arm twitched as she said that but she continued on with her rehearsed speech. "The bottom line is we are a member short to compete. Now, through extensive recruiting we are sure we could fill that spot. However, we are also missing a strong male lead. So why not kill two birds with one stone? I was hoping I could convince you to rejoin Glee. It would mean so much to the team."

He chuckled at that. "I highly doubt that. I was not the most well-liked member of Glee."

She couldn't necessarily refute that. When all of the baby drama had fallen, most people had taken Finn's side in the whole ordeal. When Finn and Quinn eventually reconciled, she shuddered at the memory, it had left Puck out of the loop. He had continued through the rest of Glee season but once that had ended he had disappeared off the face of the earth. Quinn had put the baby up for adoption and Finn and her remained together. They were not around much this school year as they were taking running start classes almost full time. She hardly saw them anymore. They had also opted out of staying in Glee.

"Last year was hard for everybody. I would personally like to put it behind me and get the new school year started strongly."

"Why don't you just go ask Finn to rejoin?" His voice was a little hard, probably already knowing the answer.

"Because, he made his choice abundantly clear last year. I don't want to force him to be around somebody he obviously cares nothing about and in a group that he is not fully committed to."

"Look, Rachel, I'm sorry about everything that happened to you last year and any role I played in it. If I was completely honest with you I would love to join Glee again, but…it's just…my schedule is really full this year, I am not sure I will have time."

"I heard you quit football too. What did your replace both activities with?" She couldn't help but ask, even though she knew she was being nosy.

"Look Rachel, it's just complicated. I have a lot on my plate." He glanced back into the house and as if on cue there was a loud piercing noise. "Damnit," he muttered under his breath.

Rachel peaked around his body, trying to look further into the house to see the source of the noise. "Is that a baby?"

Noah shook his head to himself. "She couldn't stay asleep for five minutes." And with that he took off back into the house, ignoring Rachel while leaving the door wide open.

She didn't know whether or not to continue into the house. Part of her thought that this was Noah's business and maybe she should just come back another time. There was another part of her, and it was the more dominant part, that was curious and felt growing suspicion rise up. She followed that half of her and stepped into the house, following the crying.

She arrived into Noah's room, but it had been transformed. The posters of half naked women and sports players had been taken down. The blue walls were bare. Where his desk and shelves had been was now a crib and a changing table. It was no longer just Noah's room, but a nursery as well. As if there was any doubt left in her mind about the situation, the fussy baby that was in Noah's arms turned its head towards Rachel and appraised the new arrival. The baby's eyes were the exact same shade of hazel as Noah's.

Noah didn't take much mind of Rachel at first. He was too busy pleading with the baby to quiet down. "Shhhh, come on Abby, you need to sleep. I need to sleep. We all need to sleep. Come on baby girl, just shut your eyes."

"Noah?" She honestly didn't know what to say. But when his eyes met hers and she was able to connect the circles around his eyes with the utter exhaustion he must be feeling, she knew that there were no words, at least for now.

She took a few hesitant steps forward, reaching out for Abby. "Can I give it a try?"

His eyes pierced hers, deciding whether or not to trust her. He realized quickly that he was questioning Rachel Berry. He knew he must be really sleep deprived if he was suspicious of her. He passed the bundle in his arms gently into her waiting arms. "I don't know what is wrong with her. She has been fussy for the last 24 hours, barely getting any sleep."

Rachel heard the pure desperation in his voice and focused on the baby in her arms. Abby continued to move in her arms, crying. Rachel reached out to touch Abby's face, feeling that it was a little warm and sweaty from crying. She immediately got into action mode, remembering what had worked for her niece.

"Noah, grab her soap, a towel, and fresh clothes," Rachel ordered.

Noah nodded, retrieving the items she asked for. She took Abby into the kitchen, thanking God that the sink was clean. While still holding Abby in one arm, she did a quick rinse of the sink for good measure, before starting to fill it with tepid water. Noah came running in with the items that were requested. Rachel laid the towel out and placed Abby gently on it. She slowly undid the clothes she was wearing and tearing off the diaper. Abby's wailing had simpered down to sniffling as she looked at this stranger who was undressing her. When Rachel lowered her into the sink her cries instantly stopped.

"Thank you Jesus," Noah exclaimed as he collapsed against the counter in relief.

"You're Jewish Noah," Rachel couldn't help but pointing out with a chuckle.

"I don't care. I will thank any deity you want. Actually I should be thanking you. Thank you Rachel Berry for getting her to shut her trap."

Her response was merely a raised eyebrow as she reached for the baby shampoo. She squeezed a little into her hands before gently lathering Abby's dark curls. There was little sound in the kitchen for a few minutes except for the splashing as Abby giggled during her bath. She knew that one of them had to break the silence but it was hard to decide on what to say.

"She looks like you Noah."

"She's lucky she got the good looks out of this deal." Rachel was glad to hear a little bit of the old Puck come out.

"Let's just hope she has her mother's brains," Rachel quipped back. She regretted saying that when she saw the smile fall off of Noah's face. She refocused all of her attention back to Abby, taking a cup to carefully rinse the lather from her hair. She didn't say anything else, afraid of offending him or drudging up bad memories.

Noah spoke up, his voice gentle. "Quinn didn't want her. I fought her decision to give the baby up for adoption, having to go through the court system. I won and I was granted sole custody of Abby. I could file for child support from Quinn, but I don't want her involved at all in her life. She is someday going to realize the mistake she made by giving up this little girl, and I don't want her to have any leverage or say in any decisions. I just feel bad for Abby, she is going to grow up without a mother."

"I grew up without a mother and I turned out just fine," Rachel replied softly.

Noah smiled sweetly at Rachel, "that you did."

"So if you don't mind me asking, how do you support her?"

"My mom has helped out a lot. We trade off watching her while we work basically. I go to school while my mom stays home with Abby during the day. I come home and she usually heads off the work soon after. I work on the weekends delivering pizza. I can only work part time right now because I am still in high school, but it's enough to make ends meet. My mom has been amazing through all of this."

"It sounds like it," Rachel agreed. She pulled Abby out of the water and started to towel her off. "Is Abby short for Abigail?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. Her full name is Abigail Leah Puckerman," he told her proudly.

"It's a good Jewish name." Rachel couldn't help to remember that Abigail meant father's joy, or gives joy. "It's a very befitting name."

"I know," Noah agreed, knowing the meaning as well.

There was another moment of silence as Abby was dressed and wrapped in a light blanket. Rachel carried her back into Noah's room/nursery and set her in the crib. She heard the strain of springs as Noah sat on his bed, his exhaustion refusing to be ignored any longer. Abby yawned as well but continued to stare at Rachel. Rachel started to hum under her breath and then softly started to sing Somewhere over the Rainbow, the first song that popped into head. It worked like a charm and soon Abby was drifting off to sleep. Once Rachel was sure she was asleep, she turned around and saw that Noah had fallen asleep sitting on his bed. Rachel smiled and quietly went over and dragged/pushed/coaxed Noah into a laying position. He was dead asleep. He didn't wake at all as she moved him. Once he was lying down Rachel slipped his sneakers off and threw the afghan from the foot of the bed over Noah's long frame. She then took a seat in the rocking chair by the crib and sat and watched the two sleep.

She got up when she heard the front door open. She tip-toed out of the room to see Noah's little sister drop her bag on the floor before kicking off her shoes.

"Hi there Becky." Rachel whispered. She recalled his sister's name easily, mentally noting that she looked bigger than she remembered. How did she grow so fast?

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Becky kept her voice quiet as well. She remembered Rachel clearly. She was the only one of Noah's 'girlfriends to actually speak to her.

"I came by to ask a favor of Noah, but I ended up getting side tracked by Abby. They are sleeping now."

"Abby is sleeping? Oh thank God. It has been torture the last couple of days. She just keeps crying."

"Well, let's stay quiet so they can some sleep. Do you want a snack? I can make you a sandwich."

"Sounds good," Becky agreed easily.

Rachel rummaged around in the kitchen for a few minutes before finding the ingredients for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She made one for Becky and herself before sitting down with Becky at the small table in the kitchen. They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating, before Becky asked bluntly "are you going to be Noah's friend?"

"Well," Rachel hesitated, never being asked that question before. "I was hoping he would rejoin Glee."

"Oh, I hope he does. I liked it when he was in Glee. He would sing all the time and play his guitar. It was nice."

Rachel had a hard time imagining Noah actually practicing the music. He had been great in Glee, especially when he had sung Sweet Caroline to them. However, he had always had a carefree, I don't practice manner about him. It is kind of what made his voice so appealing, it was less polished than many of the other voices in Glee.

"Well, maybe I will be his friend."

"You should. He doesn't have any friends anymore. He spends all his time on either with Abby, at work, or at school."

They were interrupted by a soft gurgling noise coming from the open door into Noah's room. Rachel dashed off to the room to find that Abby had awoken; luckily Noah had not stirred yet. Rachel couldn't believe how short a time Abby had stayed asleep. She picked up the baby, taking her out of the room so that Noah could continue to rest.

Becky followed her into the front room, where Rachel laid Abby down on a soft blanket. She found a couple plastic toys in a basket by the television and placed a couple in front of Abby to play with. She seemed happy with the toy selection and started to giggle, hitting a toy that lit up and played tinkling music.

"Do you have any homework Becky?" I didn't know if Noah made sure she did her homework or not after school, but it seemed like the natural thing to do.

Becky groaned. "A little."

"Maybe you should get started on it."

"Fine," Becky grumbled, before stomping over to her bag that she left by the door and bringing it back to the couch. She pulled out a couple of worksheets and a pencil. She started to do the math homework, asking for help every now and again from Rachel who was playing with Abby. They continued like this for a while. Rachel was comfortable and she felt like this was a familiar activity. She didn't feel like she was babysitting, but rather spending time with family.

Slowly, Becky's questions shifted to less academic subjects. "So did you date Finn?"

Rachel wondered why she was asking this question before deciding to be honest with her. "For a little while."

"You are so lucky," Becky sighed.

Rachel figured that to Becky's fifth grade mind Finn was the greatest guy on earth. Growing up with Finn around, he was probably the girls first crush. "He is a good guy. He just didn't have the same kind of feelings for me that I did for him."

"He loved Quinn," Becky stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes," Rachel replied simply, not really wanting to elaborate on the subject.

"I want to have a boyfriend someday."

"You're too young Becky," Noah's voice traveled from the doorway to the living room.

Rachel felt a blush creep up her face, wondering how long Noah had been standing there. She wondered if he found it creepy at all that he kind of just took charge of his daughter and little sister. There wasn't really time to dwell on it though.

"I'm not too young. I am eleven. That is practically a teenager which means I can have a boyfriend."

"You just try that argument on mom when she gets home."

"Fine, I will," Becky obstinately told him.

"So apparently, you don't have any friends," Rachel changed the subject.

Noah glared at Becky. He then joined Rachel on the floor, taking Abby into his lap with the rattle she was playing with. "What's it to you?"

"It's just that by joining Glee again you will be connected to your old friends."

"Friends?"

"Of course. We'll start fresh this year. I know it will be great."

"When is the next practice?" Noah sighed exasperated, knowing he probably was not going to get out of this.

"Tomorrow after school until 4:30."

"I don't have anybody to watch Abby tomorrow."

"I can babysit," Becky offered.

"No," both Noah and Rachel replied without even turning to her.

"Fine." It seemed to be Becky's trademark response to anything she didn't like.

"You can bring Abby to Glee with you."

"What?" Noah couldn't help but respond as if Rachel was crazy.

"Bring her with you and if she get's cranky then you can just step out for a few minutes, or I can even help you watch her during practice. I am desperate for you to join."

"I just don't get why? I'm not as good as Finn. He was the one that got all of the solos last year."

"That's not true, Noah. You have a different voice than him and it's not like you were volunteering yourself for songs. It was a struggle for us to get you to sing Sweet Caroline, and I still think the only reason you sang that song for me is that you wanted to get into my pants."

Noah gave a very Puckish smirk, which looked out of place with a baby in his lap. "I was pretty transparent wasn't I?"

"I think it's safe to say you didn't let many of your many layers show."

"That's the nice way of saying I was a douche."

Rachel laughed. "Pretty much. So what do you say? Will you be at practice tomorrow?"

"I don't think you are going to let me say no, are you?"

"Probably not," Rachel conceded.

"Fine," Noah borrowed his sister's favorite word. "I'll go then."

* * *

He was a half and hour late. She tried not to think about it too much as they ran through You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray. Rachel had to admit they were good, pretty damn good in fact. They may even have a shot at beating Vocal Adrenaline if they could only find a strong male lead to go with her voice. Kurt had tried, but admitted he was not male lead material. Artie's and her voice didn't mesh very well. And none of the newcomers really had strong enough voices yet. She needed him.

As if reading her mind, Noah entered the choir room quietly. He closed the door gently behind him, trying to not draw attention to his and Abby's entrance. It couldn't be helped though. The song abruptly stopped and everybody turned to stare at Noah and the baby carrier he had in hand.

"Good to see you Puck." Mr. Schuester was the first to greet him. "Is this your little girl?"

Noah looked down at Abby who was looking up with wide eyes at Mr. Schuester. "Yes, this is Abigail"

"She's beautiful," Mercedes breathed, sneaking up on them. "Can I hold her?"

Noah set down the baby carrier and took out Abby and handed her off to Mercedes. Mercedes made baby noises at Abby, tickling her, making the baby laugh. Noah was surprised how nobody seemed to think badly of him. Instead everybody was welcoming him, offering up their services as babysitters as they passed Abby around. Noah was a little nervous about Abby being around so many people, but she seemed to be enjoying all of the attention. Noah hadn't taken her out that often and he had only one aunt and one set of grandparents still alive to dote on the little girl. She loved everybody and everybody loved her. Even Mr. Schuester was't too weirded out by the fact that she might have been her daughter if Terri had gotten her way.

It took nearly another half an hour for them to get all of their welcomes out of the way and to get back to practicing. Mr. Schuester handed Noah a part in You Can't Stop the Beat and had the students go through the choreography step by step to help clean it for the rest of the group and to give Noah a chance at catching up with the moves. A little while into rehearsing, Abby started to fuss because nobody was paying attention to her anymore. Without even hesitating Artie rolled over to take care of the baby, leaving Noah to continue working on the song.

* * *

Noah shrugged off the button down blue shirt, throwing it on to the growing pile of discarded clothes on his bed. He didn't know when he started to be such a girl. He couldn't pick a shirt for his date with Rachel. She had asked him out last week when he told her about how once a month his grandparents took Abby for the night to give Noah a night off and for them to get some quality time with their great-granddaughter. She said she wanted to treat him to a night out, everything paid for and planned by her. He tried to protest, but she said she wanted to do more than go to the kwik mart and make out in his truck, which he hated to admit were the activities that he had treated her to on their one and only date in their brief one week relationship.

It had been a month since he had rejoined Glee and the time had been amazing. He had a group of friends to eat lunch with. They forced him to stop doing his homework in the library at lunch, saying he needed some time to let off steam. He had agreed and he was able to compensate doing his homework later. Half the time he wasn't in Glee or in school, often one of his friends would come over to hang out and help out with Abby. She kind of became the unofficial mascot of New Directions. Everybody took her under their wing. He had never felt like Abby was lacking anything important, but all of sudden she had new clothes rather than thrift store outfits. He wasn't buying diapers last minute anymore, there was now a little stockpile provided by his friends. It wasn't much to each of them, but adding up all of their small gestures, Abby became quite a spoiled child.

He didn't complain either. He didn't feel like he was alone in this anymore. His mother was a huge help, but their schedules had them spread thin so they barely saw each other. Now he had company in his day to day struggles and it was a comfort. He hated to sounded weak, like he couldn't do this by himself, but he kept reminding himself of the saying it takes a village to raise a baby. And he did have a village.

Rachel was probably the most frequent visitor. She came by often, helping out with Abby so he could do his homework. He had been paying more attention to his education, figuring he didn't want to have to tell his daughter someday that he was a high school drop-out. Abby started to gain a more regular sleeping schedule, which made his evenings easier. Sometimes he and Rachel would just sit on the couch, Abby in one of their arms, while they watched a movie or some television. Their friendship had grown, and it felt natural for their lives to now be intertwined. They still bickered, after all there was still a little bit of Puck in him and there was still a little bit of crazy Rachel Berry in her. The fights were usually over nothing, and within five minutes one of them would get exasperated and concede to the other person. It was a pretty healthy balance.

He was a little pissed that Rachel beat him to the punch on asking him out. He was planning on asking her out soon, but he hadn't gotten up the nerve. All he could think about was how he had went about it all wrong the last time they 'dated', if you could call it that. When she had broken up with him because she still had a thing for Finn, he would never admit it to anyone, but that brought him down a peg or two. The truth is he wasn't going to break up with her. He figured she would put out eventually, after all he was a stud. But, more importantly when they were together he forgot about the baby drama for a while and he had just felt like a normal teenager. She still had that affect on him. When they spent time together, he didn't feel like he was playing out some badly written teen soap opera. Instead, he felt like this was how his life was supposed to be.

But that didn't mean he didn't want tonight to be awesome, and for it to be awesome he actually had to pick out what he wanted to wear. Rachel had just told them that they were going to have a normal date, but that didn't tell him what to wear. Did he have to dress up? But if he dressed up would he look overdressed? He didn't want to look like he was trying, because dude he did not need to try. The doorbell rang and he groaned. Fine. He left his nice pair of jeans on and then threw on a black plain t-shirt and his dark jacket over that.

He reached the door, glad that nobody else was home to see him off. His sister was at a sleepover and his mom had taken an extra graveyard shift. Rachel, was that really Rachel, was standing on his stoop, looking a little nervous. She was wearing a pair of tight, skinny jeans that showed off her long legs. He bet her ass looked good in them too. His eyes traveled up to the blue v-neck shirt she wore, showing off the tiniest hint of cleavage. Her makeup was light and her hair was in soft waves. "Um, you look good Rachel."

"Thanks," she said. "Kurt dressed me in all honesty." He made a mental note to thank Kurt later. She did the once over on him as well. " You look good as well Noah."

Noah hated himself for it, but he blushed at her compliment and appraising stare. "Well, should we get going?"

Rachel shook her head as if clearing her mind. "Yeah, let's go." She shook her keys nervously as they headed to her car, a little Honda sedan. They got into the car, and Rachel adjusted the music so it wasn't blaring, but at a comfortable volume.

"So, where are we going?" What could he say, Noah was a little impatient.

"First, I thought we would go see a movie, then have a late dinner. Does that sound good?"

"Perfect," he agreed easily. It was such a normal set of activities, and simple, but he hadn't seen a movie in the theaters since Abby was born. When they arrived at the theater, he mentally groaned when he saw Eclipse was still in theaters. That was probably the movie Rachel was going to drag him to. She liked Twilight and she had a thing for one of the vampires, but not Edward thank God. She surprised him though, going up to the window and purchasing two tickets for Crank 3. His jaw dropped a little and he still had the shocked look on his face when she turned to him with his ticket.

"What?"

"I thought for sure we were going to go see Eclipse."

"Nah," she shrugged easily. "I have already seen it three times. Plus, this seemed more like your kind of movie. I think I saw you had the first two Crank movies."

"Of course. Have you seen them?"

"No. I meant to watch them this week in preparation, but I had too much homework."

Noah couldn't keep in the laugh. "Are you sure you want to see this then?"

"Yup. This is your night out Noah, and I am determined that you are to enjoy yourself. With that she headed in the theater and purchased them a large popcorn and two drinks. His mouth started to water at seeing the large bucket of buttery goodness and thought Rachel was the coolest person in the world at that moment for bringing him to the movies. She really knew the way to a guys heart.

He loved the movie and surprisingly she seemed to enjoy the movie as well. She made derisive noises when there was a gratuitous sex scene with Amy Smart, but other than that she went with the movie. She laughed with him at the ridiculous nature of most of the action parts. He couldn't believe he found a girl that could enjoy the Crank movies with him.

Afterwards they went out to eat at a local burger joint. Once again what might have seemed too simple to others was pure pleasure for him. He devoured his burger in record time and practically inhaled his fries. He felt a little self-conscious but Rachel just smiled as she continued eating her burger. He snuck a few of her fries as well and she didn't complain. He tried to sneak the check from her, hoping to contribute to some part of this evening, but she was too quick for him and snatched it. "Let me do this, Noah," she said in a voice that was hard for him to argue with.

She started to drive back towards his house and he was sad to see the night end. It might be a whole other month before he could do this again. She pulled into this driveway and he knew this was the part where they kissed, said goodnight, and he ended up back in his house. Although the kissing idea didn't seem so terrible, it still was not how he wanted this evening to end. "Do you want to come in and hang out for a little bit."

She glanced over at him, eyeing him seriously. "I don't know."

He knew what Puck would have meant by his words, do you want to come in and have sex. That's not what Noah meant by it though. "I promise to be a perfect gentleman. We can just talk and listen to music."

Her eyes studied him for a moment and he tried to have the most innocent look on his face as possible. She didn't seem to find any problems as she agreed to come in. He walked her to his room. He plugged his ipod into his computer speakers and started up their playlist. It was a compilation of both of their favorite music, leading to fewer arguments since both of their music was represented. He fell back onto his bed, lying on his back, letting the music wash over him. She hesitated for a minute before she joined him in his bed. They had lain in bed together on several occasions, but it was usually with Abby still in the room and it wasn't directly after a very successful date.

She moved so she was on her back as well, and there was an awkward pause before she finally broke the silence. "Becky says you haven't dated since last year."

"Have you been asking my sister information about me?" There was something odd about that situation.

"No," she stated defensively. "She offered the information when I told her that I had asked you out. Why haven't you dated? It's hard to imagine the old Puck just giving up women."

"Who says I did?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Noah," her voice was even and her eyes focused in on him.

"Okay. Well, obviously I haven't had the time."

"Is that the only reason? Because I can't imagine that stopping you."

He couldn't believe that she saw through him that easily. He liked to see himself as slightly mysterious and hard to read. He was a jerk at school sure, but that was just a mask for others to see. That didn't seem to stop her though.

"It's hard to have just random sex with girls when you are going to have a daughter yourself. I started to see these girls as someone's daughter and that pretty much killed the mood for me."

"Why not date then? Have relationships? You found time with me, what stopped you before?"

This conversation was quickly becoming uncomfortable for him and he really didn't want to tell her the truth, but she could tell when he was lying, so he was pretty much stuck. He had to trust her and hope that what he said wouldn't mess up his badass image too much. "It's kind of weird. Please don't read too much in what I'm going to say to you." He took her silence as assent. "Well, I didn't really see the point in dating if I couldn't see a future with her."

"You were basically waiting for someone you could see being a mother to Abby?" Rachel asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I didn't really want to put it like that but I have to admit that in the back of my mind I was thinking about it. I have to think about her first now and it's important to me that she isn't raised in some fucked up family with a stepmother who hates her or neglects her."

"And you think I would be a good mother to Abby?" Her voice was still soft, and there was little inflection in her voice so he couldn't tell whether not she thought of it as a compliment or not.

Well he might as well go for broke. "You are amazing with her, it's impossible to deny it. You are a natural with both Becky and Abby. It's hard for me not to deny that in the back of my head I am praying that you and I work out because Abby would be lucky to have you as a mother. I would even settle for us being good friends for the rest of our lives and you being the cool aunt. Now, please tell me honestly how freaked out you about this confession."

Rachel was quiet for a few minutes before she rolled over so that she was facing Noah and could look directly in his eyes. "I'm not going to lie and say that this whole situation isn't a little odd. I mean we are both 17. We are still in high school. In the same breath, you and Abby have changed my life more than you can ever imagine in the last month and I already love her dearly. I want to be there for her and watch her grow up. And the fact that you told me all of that about your feelings just confirms that I want to be with you. You have grown so much in the last year. You are kind, gentle, and open with me, things I couldn't have said about you when we were dating. But, there is still that little bit of Puck in you that makes things fun and exciting. I have grown to care about you so much in the last month. I guess you made your own confession so I think it is only fair that I reciprocate. I love you Noah Puckerman."

His breath stopped for a moment. Nobody had ever said that to him before and here was the most beautiful person he had ever known lying on his bed confessing her love for him. He knew he had said he would be a perfect gentleman but he couldn't restrain himself any longer. He leaned forward, kissing her passionately, showing her how he felt. Surprising him to no end, she was the one that deepened the kiss, rolling over so she was straddling his hips. He ran his hands all over her face, tangling themselves in her hair, trying to memorize her features. He knew things were at a crossroads when her hands started to lift his shirt off. A part of him was cheering that he was going to get laid. But there was another part that knew this would be Rachel's first time. This night had already been monumental for them. He almost felt like it was too much right now. They were too frantic for it. He wanted her first time to be more special.

He broke away from her lips, kissing her cheeks and chin before leaning back. Her dark eyes met his in question. "Why are you stopping?"

"You know I don't put out until the third date."

She laughed with him, rolling off of him to lie next to him. She wrapped one arm around his chest and threw a leg lazily over his. They continued to talk about their future with brief interruptions by one of them kissing the other. There was less urgency in these kisses. They knew that they had more time in the future go further, but tonight they would just enjoy the moment.

A/N: I have to admit I got bit the Glee bug. I loved the show throughout this first half of the season, but within the last week or two I just kind of gotten into Glee fanfiction. I had no idea there were so many other people rooting for Puck and Rachel. I hope you enjoyed the story and I appreciate any feedback.

If by chance you are one of my regular readers I wanted to give the heads up that I am working on an epic Jasper/Bella story and I am toying with the idea of a sequel to The Married Life. It may take me a while to finish either story but I just wanted to let you know I am still writing.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is dedicated to Kialajaray for giving me the idea that sparked the creation of a couple more chapters for this story. Thank you so much for your review to the first chapter.

Chapter 2:

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!" The small voice continued to exclaim as she threw her small plastic bowl full of applesauce on the floor, causing small amounts to splatter on Rachel's face.

"Okay, so no applesauce Abby," Rachel spoke in a strained voice. "Well, how about some cheerios?"

"No!" Abby yelled and slammed her fists on the tray of her high chair. She giggled and screamed out one more time for good measure, "no!"

"That's it young lady. You are not allowed to talk to me like that. You are going to time out."

"No!"

Rachel restrained screaming back at her and simply pulled her out of the high chair and placed her in the specified time out corner in the front room.

"Hey, babe, I'm home," Noah's voice called from the doorway. He dropped some stuff by the door. "I got some great news…" He stopped dead in his tracks. Rachel stood in the middle of the front room, staring at him with her eyes wide, hair completely disheveled, and her shirt covered in applesauce and macaroni and cheese. "Babe?"

"She has been a nightmare today," Rachel let out, her voice quiet. "After you left she kept running in circles in the house, even though she kept falling and bumping her head. I tried to play with her outside but she started crying. I tried putting her down for a nap, but she just kept singing at the top of her lungs. Now she is refusing to eat anything! So, I put her in time out."

Noah's face fell a little. He stepped forward, pulling Rachel into his arms. "Oh Rachel. I'm sorry to hear she was like that. I love you for putting up with her while I work on Saturdays."

"It's not putting up with. I love being with her. It's just today was a day I didn't quite feel the love from her."

"I'm sorry. What can I do to make up for it?"

"Can you talk to Abby for me and start dinner while I take a quick shower and change into some clothes that aren't covered in food. Then you can tell me your great news."

"No problem. Take your time. I have everything under control." Noah kissed Rachel on the forehead before pushing her in the direction of his bedroom. She kept some spare clothes in his closet just for occasions like this.

Noah turned around and stared at his daughter that was currently sitting on the floor cross-legged facing the corner. Next week would be her 2nd birthday. He couldn't believe she was growing up so fast. He came over and ruffled the long, dark curls of his daughter. Her hair actually reminded him a little of Rachel's which made him happy. Abby may have not been Rachel's daughter, but when going out in public they looked like a family.

Noah took a seat on the floor, turning Abby around so she was facing him. "So, Abigail, I heard you weren't well behaved today."

Abby's face was streaked with tears and she hiccoughed loudly. "Didn't mean to."

"I think that's not true. It sounds you were being bad on purpose."

"Fun." Some days it was so blindingly clear that Abby was his daughter.

"Believe me I know. But you have to think about how that made Rachel feel. How would you feel if somebody kept yelling at you and screaming?" Puck continued patiently.

"Not good," Abby admitted after thinking for a minute.

"Exactly. I know how much fun it can to be bad, but you have to make the decision to be good. Trust me it pays off. I used to be bad."

Abby had a look of shock on her face. "Nuh-uh."

"It's true. Do you know what changed me?"

Abby shook her head.

Noah leaned forward, kissing his daughter on the forehead quickly. "You did. I found out you were arriving and I thought that I had to be a better person for my daughter. It was hard at first and sometimes I messed up but I'm better for it."

"So, no more bad?"

"I think we would all like that," Noah smiled softly. They sat in silence for a minute before Noah remembered that he had to get dinner started.

"Daddy?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Can I go?"

Noah thought for a moment. "I think you should stay put until Rachel comes out of the shower. Then you should apologize to her. She thinks you don't love her with how you were acting today."

"Oh no!" Abby gasped.

"You better convince her that's not true."

Abby nodded solemnly. "I will."

Noah left her where she was sitting and went into the kitchen. He pulled out the whole chicken that was in the fridge thawing. He plopped it into a casserole dish and sprinkled a couple of spices on it before throwing it into the oven. He washed his hand carefully before starting his search through the cupboards seeing what kind of options they had for side dishes.

He was looking forward to tonight. It was the first time in a month that everybody's schedules lined up and the Berry's were going to be able to come over for dinner. His mother was going to be getting off work in an hour so she would be home in plenty of time. And with any luck he would have some very happy news to share with them. His and Rachel's plans were finally falling into place. He used to think that college wasn't an option for him and when Abby arrived it was like the nail in the coffin of that idea. However, Rachel saw something in him and she had this way of getting things to happen. They had both been accepted into the state university and he was going to be able to bring Abby with him.

She walked out of the bathroom, throwing her dirty clothes into Noah's hamper. She was assaulted by a very small figure wrapping itself around her legs.

"I love you Rachel."

"I love you too, Abby," Rachel replied. She reached down and picked up the little girl, holding her closely in her arms.

"I'm sorry," Abby spoke honestly.

"Thank you baby girl. I forgive you. Let's just put it behind us."

"Rachel, I'm hungry?"

"Why do you think that it is?" Rachel replied sarcastically. In a more genuine tone, "let's get you a snack before dinner." Rachel placed Abby back in her high chair. She took a small bowl and poured a handful of cheerios in there.

Abby smiled. "Thank you."

"That's my girl," Noah praised, ruffling Abby's hair. "And how's my other girl?" Noah asked, pulling Rachel into his arms. He kissed her softly before hugging her tightly, smelling her freshly washed hair. She ran his hands through his now longer hair, ruffling it with her fingers.

"So, what's your good news?" Rachel's voice was muffled by his shirt.

Noah took a deep breath, pulling back from Rachel so he could look at her. "I got my financial aid package."

Rachel's face lit up with anticipation. "And?"

"And it is better than expected. Between the grants and scholarships they only gave me a thousand in loans, which I don't even think I need to take out because I have the savings from working."

"Oh my God. That is so amazing. So with my scholarships that means we are both completely set for next year."

"We are going to college." Noah couldn't believe that he had said that. He had never dreamed that he would be doing anything with his life. He going to college was living proof of the affect that both Rachel and Abby have had on his life. Here goes the big step. "With the all of the scholarship money I was thinking that you and I could swing getting an apartment."

Rachel shrugged turning back to attend to Abby. "I can't. As a freshman you have to live in the dorms unless you have kids or are married."

"I know," Noah said slowly, but significantly.

Rachel froze handing Abby a cheerio. She took a deep breath and then turned to face Noah who was currently kneeling on the kitchen floor, a ring held out in his hand. It was a delicate silver ring with a small pearl set in the center.

"Noah!" She was shocked. "You shouldn't have spent…"

"Before you say anything, it's my moms. I knew you wouldn't want me spending a lot of money on a ring. Let me just say I obviously can't offer you a lot and I come with Abby as well, which I know is not what you expected when you graduated high school. College won't be normal for us. But, I love you and I already think of us as a family. Will you marry me?"

"Yes. Of course I will." Rachel put out her hand and he slipped the small ring on her finger. "It's pretty."

"I wish I could afford more. Someday I will buy you a huge diamond, but for now this will have to do."

"It's perfect Noah. I'm glad you didn't spend money on it. And just for your reference I don't like diamonds, they are so generic. The pearl is beautiful and the fact that it's your mothers makes it better."

"Yeah my grandfather had the ring made for my mother on her 16th birthday. She offered it to me a couple of months ago to give to you. I think she thought this might happen eventually."

"Well, thank you Noah. Not to ruin the mood or anything, but there are a couple of things that we need to talk about."

"You wouldn't be Rachel if we didn't need to talk. Let me just check on the chicken and then we can talk." He opened the oven, making sure that the chicken was currently baking just fine. He then joined Rachel at the small breakfast table in the back of the room.

"The first thing we have to decide is when to get married."

"I have been thinking about it, actually. I know it's not the ideal situation but I was thinking that we should have a small wedding this summer, so that we can live together next year. It wouldn't be your dream wedding, but I thought maybe in a few years, once we save up some money we could have a proper ceremony."

"There's no need. Contrary to what you would expect, I really don't want some elaborate wedding. I really just want a small wedding with close friends and family. We can even have it in my backyard and it can be potluck. I don't want to waste money on some stupid party. All I care about is us getting married in front of the people we care about."

Noah couldn't believe that he was hearing this. "You know you are the most amazing woman ever."

"I know!" Rachel replied happily.

"There is one other topic I want to broach about us getting married."

"You really thought this through."

"I figured that I couldn't propose to you without having a game plan because you will have questions," Noah answered honestly.

"Well, I am flattered that you care enough to think about our future. So what is the other thing you need to talk to me about?"

"Abigail. This is really a serious subject and I don't want to throw too much at you, but it's important that you start thinking about it. I want you to consider maybe adopting her, so that she would be your child as well. If something happens to me, I want her to be in your custody. I know that is a lot of responsibility so I understand if you want to think about it. You don't have to decide right now, there is no rush."

"I don't have to think about it. I love Abby and I would do anything for her. I already think of her as my daughter. I would be honored to adopt her."

Noah looked a little skeptical. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel obligated. This is not something you should take lightly. You have to consider your future and what she could mean to that."

"I know, Noah. The fact remains though that I would do anything for her and I want her to be cared for and loved. I know I can provide that for her. She is so important to me and I can't stand the thought of her not being in my future, wherever that may take me." Her face brightened a little and her voice became lighter. "Not to mention, if I have to divorce your ass then I can have custody as well."

"You can do that?" Noah looked a little flummoxed.

"Yup, I've already done research on adoptions. So, second thoughts?"

Noah shrugged, unconcerned. "Nah, I wasn't planning on letting you divorce me anyways. You are going to be stuck with me for a long time."

"Sounds good to me," Rachel replied happily, leaning across the table, planting a quick kiss on his lips.

* * *

Dinner was going well. There had only been one mess and in all fairness it was an accident as Abby got a little too excited at seeing the cupcakes that were for dessert. She had knocked over her sippy cup with her elbow. She looked fearful that she would be sent to time out again, but in response everybody just laughed.

Noah took the pleasant atmosphere as a sign and cleared his throat. He vaguely thought that he probably should have a champagne glass that he could tap and he would be standing, but he squashed that idea quickly. Noah Puckerman had changed a lot over the last couple of years, but he still wasn't_ that_ guy.

As everybody quieted around him he took a moment to take stock of his surroundings and thought how lucky he was. To his right was his mother, Judy, sitting at the head of the table, looking younger than he had ever seen her. Across from him Rachel's dads, Dave and Seth, were holding hands inconspicuously, smiling fondly at him and Rachel. Rachel was sitting to his left, helping his younger sister with the heavy pitcher of juice, pouring her a glass. Abby was sitting in her high chair between his mom and Dave, who kept doting on the little girl. This was how family was supposed to feel. Sure this family was a little different, but it was his nonetheless.

"I have some good news to tell you. I got my financial aid package back and I got a lot of grants from the state, and with the scholarships I have received so far, next year is covered."

"Congratulations son," Seth was quick to exclaim.

"Who would have thought, my son going to college," his mother responded tearfully. "And it's all because you Rachel."

Rachel blushed, shaking her head. "Noah had it in him the whole time."

"Oh I don't doubt that. You helped show him the way," she was quick to retaliate.

"She's right," I cut in. "There's something else, on a related note. I've, well, I have asked Rachel to marry me."

"And?" Dave leaned forward hopefully.

He looked at Rachel expectantly, wanting her to be a part of this announcement as well. "And I said yes. We are going to get married this summer so that we can live together in an apartment next year."

Now Noah's mom was really crying, but she had a smile on her face. She got up from her chair and started to hug Rachel then her son, blubbering on and on about how happy she was. Seth was trying to wipe his eyes inconspicuously. Dave looked happy as well. He walked over and clapped Noah on the back before shaking his hand. Everybody was standing now, hugging each other and congratulating the young pair.

"Oh we will have to start planning the wedding right away," Judy announced suddenly.

"We can take of the finances," Seth offered. "We have a savings account that has been set aside for both Rachel's education and for her wedding. Since we don't need the money for college it may seem, there is quite a bit that can be spent on a wedding."

Rachel had to speak up when she heard this. "Oh, no. I don't want a big wedding. I really don't," she added when she saw the dubious looks on everybody's faces. "I was thinking that we could maybe have a small backyard wedding at our house. It can just be close friends and family."

"Don't you want to get married in temple?" Judy questioned.

Noah couldn't stop his eyes from rolling. "Ma, that would be so stuffy and formal. We just want to do something casual."

"Noah, marriage is not a casual affair." His mother's voice was disapproving.

"Judy, they are right," Dave spoke gently. "There isn't much time to plan and if they want a low key wedding, then that is what they shall have. Plus it will be so much less work."

"I don't mind the work," Judy replied defiantly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you will get to plan a huge extravagant wedding for Becky. She loves her fairy tales, don't you Becky?" Noah asked.

Becky brightened at being brought into the adult conversation. "Yeah I want a huge poofy dress. Also, I want a carriage and twinkling lights ever where." She continued on dreamily, although most of the adults turned their attention back to the topic at hand.

"Okay, well, if it makes you happy," Judy sighed.

"It will," Rachel assured her.

"Well, now that we are settled on a small wedding, we know what we are dealing with. There is still a lot to plan like guests, music, and oh the lawn should really be done up nicely," Seth gushed.

Noah raised his hand. "There is still one more serious topic to discuss before you start planning the wedding. Maybe everybody should retake their seats."

They followed his direction and he took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. This part he was still not completely sure about how they would respond to. "Something Rachel and I discussed when I proposed is Abby's place in all of this. Obviously she comes first in my life and I have to think about what is best for her."

The Berry's and his mom nodded, showing that they were with him so far. "I want Rachel to be Abby's mother…legally. I discussed with Rachel the idea of her adopting Abby legally and she has agreed. I know you may think that Rachel is young to become a mother but I trust her whole heartedly with my daughter and I think she will be the best mother possible to Abby. I especially wanted to tell you both Dave and Seth. This would mean that Abby would be your granddaughter as well. You don't have to be that to her if you don't want, but I want to give you option of being as involved in her life as you want."

Everybody was quiet for a second. Seth turned to Judy and stage whispered, "Do I look old enough to be a grandpa?"

Judy replied without hesitating, "Do I look like a grandma to you?"

Everybody laughed, breaking the ice. Dave blinked a few times before gathering his wits. "This has been quite a dinner I must say. I don't think I have ever gotten this much information in one evening. As for Abby, I think I can speak for Seth as well when I say we would be honored to be her grandfathers. We love her and admire you for keeping her at such a young age. We feel blessed that you have brought her into our life."

"Plus, I will get to spoil her rotten," Seth happily added.

"What about me?" Becky asked indignantly.

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, confused.

"Well, you are going to be Noah's father-in-law and Abby's grandpa. What does that make you guys to me?"

"Hmm." Dave tapped his chin exaggeratedly. "We could be your fun uncles. How does that sound?"

Becky brightened at the idea. "That will be so cool. I have always wanted an uncle and now I have two."

Noah leaned back in his chair, exhausted from everything that has happened today. It was so surreal to think that in a few short weeks everything would become official and he would have a complete family. He smiled at the thought. Rachel leaned her head on his shoulder but tilted it to look up into his face. Her eyes met his and the conversations of dresses and guests fell away. There was nobody in this world but him and Rachel. They were home.

A/N: Okay so I was so not going to continue the story but I have never had such positive feedback from any one shot or one chapter from a story before. Seriously you guys floored me. And well, I am a sucker to people saying they want more because they loved the story so much. I still wasn't going to continue until one reviewer gave me the idea of how I could continue the story. Thanks again Kialajaray. I have three more chapters planned. I really don't want to write the day to day life because I honestly have no idea what it's like to have children. I just have experiences with my siblings to draw upon. So, instead I am going to write a couple big moments in their relationship. The next chapter will be the wedding. The fourth and fifth chapters will take place several years down the road. And one of them may or may not include Quinn and Finn. :wink wink:

A couple things about this chapter I want to address really quickly. The whole adoption thing is kind of fuzzy to me, but I just know in Washington state it is an option because when my mom got remarried they considered having my brother and I getting adopted by my step-dad, even though my dad was still alive. I was like 8 at the time so I don't know the logistics of it, I just kind of vaguely remember that, so I don't kill me if it doesn't exactly work out the way I have it done. Also, some may think that Rachel is a little ooc not wanting a big wedding and ring and stuff. In this story I have Rachel calming down as she gets older. You will see that more in later chapters. I just don't picture her being that high strung as she grows up and I like what Lea said in an interview about how when Rachel is with Puck she is more relaxed. So I'm drawing on that.

Finally, thank you all for so many amazing reviews. I wanted to cry. It was so amazing to see so much positive feedback from one story. I have experienced that in a long time. Thank you so much. Please take a minute to review so I know whether or not you like how I continued it or if you wish I had left it as a one shot. Thanks again and hopefully you will hear from me again soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"Am I supposed to be more nervous?" Rachel asked Kurt who was currently styling her hair.

"I don't know. Considering this is going to be a second rate, redneck, backyard shindig."

"Kurt!" Rachel shrieked.

Kurt shrugged as he released another strand of her hair from the curling rod in his hand. "I'm just saying you could have had such a fabulous, elegant wedding if there had been a few more weeks."

"You know we have no more time. We are leaving for school in two weeks. We are cutting it close as it is with having a short honeymoon and packing our stuff."

"Where are you going for your honeymoon?" Tina asked from Rachel's bed. Mercedes and Tina were doing each other's nails. Rachel and Noah had decided against having any wedding party but she had still asked her closest friends to join her as she got ready for the ceremony. Kurt had actually squeeled when he was asked.

"We are just going to go on a small road trip. We haven't made any official plans. We are just going to drive around, maybe do some spontaneous camping. We don't have the money to do anything more right now."

"Naked Puck in the woods would be hot." Kurt had a dreamy look on his face. Noah's friends mostly still called him Puck, although slowly the name was dying out as Rachel converted more people to calling him Noah.

"Kurt!"

"Naked Puck anywhere is hot," Mercedes added.

"Mmhmm," Tina confirmed.

"Ugh." Rachel threw up her hands.

"Oh, like you don't know. Let us just fantasize a little," Kurt replied.

"That's not the point." Rachel couldn't keep the blush from her face.

"So, how is the sex with Captain Badass?" Mercedes asked casually.

"I wish he would give up the stupid nickname," Rachel hedged.

"Oh come on, give us something," Tina wheedled.

Rachel looked at her best friends in her vanity mirror. She really wasn't into girl talk and they knew it, but she thought she would give them something. "Well, you know all of those rumors that we used to hear about his sexual prowess?"

All three leaned forward, "yes."

"Let's just say they are not just rumors." Rachel smirked, pleased with all of their shocked looks and gasps.

"Even the one about four times in one…"

Rachel nodded furiously, cutting Mercedes off by holding up her hand. "More like five."

"Wow." Tina fanned herself at the thought.

"You lucky girl," Kurt complimented before going back to work on her hair.

"I know," Rachel sang, a smug smile plastered on her face at the memory of that one night.

* * *

Noah shifted his feet. He tugged on his shirt nervously. The ceremony should start any minute. They had decided to keep the wedding as casual as possible. He was standing in the Berry's back yard, at the edge of the garden. Mr. Schuester, or Will as he was encouraging them to call him now, was standing beside him. They had asked Will to marry them and he agreed, getting his license online. There were about twenty of their friends and family, standing in small groups, ready for the ceremony to start. Most of the people were in jeans, that's how casual the wedding was. Noah himself was only wearing a pair of khakis and a black, button down shirt. Simple.

The music cued up and he straightened in anticipation. The soft piano music played from the speakers that had his ipod hooked into it. The audience parted to create an informal aisle. Out of the crowd came Rachel on the arms of her two fathers. His whole body relaxed when he saw her. She wore a simple cotton dress that hung loosely on her body. Her hair was pulled back, falling in soft curls with flowers scattered throughout her hair. She radiated happiness. Once her eyes met his, everything else in the world fell away. She was everything to him in that moment.

She floated down the aisle, not able to break her eyes away from Noah. As she reached him her fathers both leaned down and kissed a cheek before hugging Noah and then heading back with the rest of the guests. She held out her hands, putting them into his much larger hands. They stood together in front of Will ready to officially bind themselves together forever.

"We are gathered together today to bear witness to the love of Noah and Rachel," Will began. "I will be the first to admit that three years ago I would have thought somebody was playing a practical joke on me if they told me that Rachel and Noah would be getting married. These two were completely different and in fact Noah here, formerly known as Puck, slushied Rachel on a semi-regular basis." There were numerous chuckles throughout the guests at the memory.

"Something changed in Noah when his daughter came along. He grew up and became a man that I admired. Then Rachel danced her way into his life and those changes were cemented. And Rachel herself has matured, no longer always demanding the spotlight in every scene. Putting these two together has created a love that I know can withstand anything. Rachel and Noah have already overcome more obstacles than most middle aged couples. They work their way through their problems with grace and maturity that never seizes to amaze me.

"I know with my entire heart that this love is true and nothing is more pure than the feelings that they feel for each other. I am honored to be up here to show my support in their choice to spend the rest of their lives together. I wish you all the happiness in the world." Will took from pocket the wedding bands. He handed to each the other's band. "Would you Noah like to say your vows first?"

At this Abby broke away from Judy who had been watching over her. She ran forward, not liking being away from her dad. She ran up and locked onto Noah's leg, although she stayed quiet. Noah smiled down at his daughter, ruffling her hair before looking back up to Rachel. "Rachel, you are not just marrying me today and I guess this was a good illustration of that. You are tying yourself with both Abigail and I. Yet, that doesn't seem to faze you. You have taken on so much, when I never expected you to. You are a source of strength that I continue to draw upon. I wish I could promise you more right now like diamonds and New York flats. However, I can say that you can lean on me always and I will never stray from you. I will never give up on you and I will try my hardest to keep you happy. There's really no other way to say I love you." Noah took the thin silver band and slipped it onto Rachel's trembling finger.

"Rachel?" Will asked.

Rachel giggled. "I had a whole speech planned but as clichéd as it sounds, standing in front of you now, all of the words have flown out of my head. I always thought my life's purpose was to be on a stage. But, I've found from knowing you that there is more to life than what I had previous expected. You have imparted on me how truly important family can be and you have let me experience love that I thought only existed in fairytales. I feel honored that I have been a part of yours and Abby's lives and look forward to a long life with us as a family. I don't need anything but the two of you to be happy. I love you and even I am at a loss of words for how to say it more elegantly." Rachel took Noah's hand and put the finger onto his, sealing them together.

Will was grinning ear to ear. "With the power vested in me by the internet, I am so happy to now pronounce you man and wife."

They met in the middle for a soft kiss. They were brought out of the kiss by Abby tugging on Rachel's dress. Rachel laughed and picked Abby up and sprinkled kisses all over her face. Abby giggled in Rachel's arms and Noah leaned forward bringing both of his girls into his arms. They turned to the cheering crowd to see that most of their guests had their phones out, taking photos of the new family.

"What are you guys waiting for?" Noah yelled out. "Let the party begin."

And it did, people broke back up into their small groups, heading towards the patio where some lawn tables had been set up. Rachel and Noah's parents brought dishes out from the kitchen of food they had been preparing for the last week. Most of the guests also brought food to contribute, making it so there was an obscene amount of food and drinks to choose from. Kurt was in charge of music and quickly plugged his own ipod into the stereo. He started up the playlist of music he had been arduously working on for the last three weeks, ever since Rachel had given him this job. The sound of Rihanna came from the speakers and some of the high schoolers who weren't eating started to dance in cleared area that was the designated dance floor.

Noah and Rachel mingled with the guests, receiving congratulations from many of their friends and relatives. Noah and Rachel talked excitedly about their plans for college and how they were moving in two weeks into an apartment on campus. They had already visited the school numerous times and were really excited about the coming year. They were asked numerous times what they were going to study and both told a little shyly that they were undeclared. Many of the adults assured them though that college was meant to be a time to try different things out. One of Seth's sisters even said that it was actually unhealthy to have a plan going into college because it limited you too much. She then kept going on about how The Man was just trying to force people into little molds so that everybody was alike. Noah and Rachel nodded and smiled while trying to catch the eye of another person to talk with. Luckily Emma (the new and not so crazy Mrs. Schuester) overheard the conversation and quickly called the couple over to offer her congratulations.

The music was turned off abruptly and there was a clinking sound as Will tapped on his champagne glass. He drew the attention of the guests. "The members of Glee want to give our wedding present to the happy couple."

Standing on the steps into the house were the original members of Glee, sans Quinn and Finn. Will joined them and counted them off. Together they sang a beautiful acapella version of Seasons of Love with Mercedes taking the female solo and Artie taking the male solo. Noah saw the tears in Rachel's eyes at the song choice and brought her in close to him, kissing her temple as they were serenaded. At the end of the song everybody broke out into applause for the group.

"That was beautiful," Rachel gushed to the group.

"It was nice and all but I think I would have preferred a toaster," Noah joked. That earned him a smack across the head from Rachel. Completely worth it though.

Mercedes glared at Noah. "And I just wanted to say is that you two are a lot less annoying when you two are together so I hope the marriage lasts, if nothing else for our sake."

Noah and Rachel assured that they were planning on making the marriage work to Mercedes. Kurt turned the music back on people went back to their activities.

"Come on, let's dance," Noah whispered into Rachel's ear. He led her over to their friends and created a small circle, dancing to a Beyonce song. After a few minutes Noah nodded to Kurt who went back over to his ipod and clicked a few buttons before the music abruptly changed to a quiet tune.

"Noah?" Rachel looked up confused.

"I wanted this to be our wedding song," Noah explained.

"I didn't know you were listening to me when I talked about The Last Five Years."

"If you didn't think I was listening then why did you rattle on about it for two hours?" Noah countered.

"Well, I was hoping you were listening."

"I was and I actually really liked it. I though this would be a good song for us."

"You do know what the musica; is about right Noah? I mean the musical is about how their marriage fails."

Noah nodded in understanding before pulling her into his arms to start dancing. "But in this moment they are in love," he whispered. "There is nothing stronger than how they feel at that moment they get married and there is nothing bigger than the love I feel for you right now Rachel."

Rachel sighed into his arms and listened as he hummed along to the song. She joined him and soon they were singing softly to each other so that only the other could hear.

_Will you share your life with me (Forever.)  
For the next ten lifetimes? (Forever, Jamie...)  
For a million summers  
'Til the world explodes,  
'Til there's no one left  
Who has ever known us apart!  
_

_There are so many dreams  
I need to see with you...  
There are so many years  
I need to be with you...  
I will never be complete  
I will never be alive--  
I will never change the world  
Until I do.  
I do._

The two continued to sway into each others arm as music faded out. They tried to memorize every aspect of happiness in that moment. It was hard to imagine that they would ever feel as content as they did in that moment.

The rest of the day was kind of blur. They were mostly talking with people or dancing or doing something they were obligated to do such as bouquet toss. Even though Rachel didn't have one during the wedding she had picked a couple of flowers from the backyard to appease Kurt. To no one's surprise Kurt was the one that caught it. In a more surprising turn of events Kurt was also the one that caught the garter.

They were able to finally get a few minutes to themselves when they sat down to eat.

"Are you enjoying yourself Mrs. Puckerman?" Noah asked with a mouthful of fruit salad in his mouth.

"Very much so Mr. Puckerman. You know I am lucky I got married so young so I could take your name before I got famous. For instance when Idina Menzel got married to Taye Diggs she really couldn't change her stage name because she had already made a name for herself under that name. Not that I believe in societal pressures that are put onto women to take a man's name but it's nice that at least I had the option."

Noah nodded slowly. "Wait, but you are going to take my name right?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course I am."

Noah sighed in relief. "Good," he mumbled before shoveling more food into his mouth.

Rachel just shook her head, not really bothering to give him a lecture about assuming she would take his name. She knew he meant well and really it wasn't worth the effort, it was a moot point. Anyways she was distracted by Abby crawling onto her lap.

"You momma!" Abby exclaimed excitedly.

Rachel looked over at Noah wide eyed. They had tried explaining to Abby that Rachel was going to be her mother and she could call her mom if she wanted. They didn't really know though if Abby grasped the concept because she kept paying attention to the stuffed bear that had been in her arms at the time.

"Yes, baby girl, I'm you momma," Rachel replied happily, tears pooling in her eyes.

Abby beamed at Rachel and hugged her closely. As she pulled back she caught sight of a flower that was pinned in one of her curls and her attention was now completely focused on the flower. "Pretty," she murmured.

Noah looked on happily seeing his wife, he didn't think he would ever tire of calling Rachel that, and his daughter play with the flower before Rachel took it out of her hair and clipped it onto one of Abby's curls. The love between those two filled Noah with a joy he had never experienced. He couldn't believe how lucky he was that Rachel wanted to be Abby's mother. Abby deserved everything good in the world and he thought he wasn't going to be able to provide her with the life she should have. But, she was going to have so much more than he had ever dreamed possible.

* * *

As the afternoon transformed into evening people started to take their leave, making sure to give their well wishes to the couple. Probably the most interesting farewell came from Santana and Brittany as they left together.

Santana hugged both briefly before speaking. "I hope you have a fun time on your honeymoon and enjoy our present."

Brittany whispered rather loudly to the two. "It's for role playing. Santana and I both have our own and we use it _all_ the time."

Noah's brain was fighting over mental images of a Santana and Brittany going at it or listing off all the different possibilities the present could be. Rachel however was thinking that she had to make sure to separate that present from the rest so they didn't open it in front of their parents. Maybe she could sneak it into one of her bags for their honeymoon. Now, that was a good idea, she thought to herself.

Eventually, it was just Rachel, Noah, their parents, Becky, and Abby left. They brought in most of the supplies and food from outside, but when Rachel tried to help put the food into Tupperware containers Judy shooed her away.

"You guys need to be heading out!"

Rachel shrugged. "Not really. It's not like we are on a set schedule. We haven't made any reservations or anything."

"That's what you think." Judy waved a spoon at her.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked slowly, looking at Noah to see if he had done something to surprise her. He had the same confused look that she had on her face.

Seth and Dave came into the kitchen excitedly. "I think it's about time for us to give you guys our wedding present." They handed over a small envelope to Rachel.

Rachel frowned at the envelope. "I told you that I just wanted that nice little table set."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We can still get that for you if you really don't like this present."

Rachel glanced up at Noah and he shook his head, not having any idea what this present was as well. She took a deep breath before pulling out a pair of airline tickets. She squinted, searching all of the small text for a destination. When she caught sight of five simple letters she screamed. Noah snatched the tickets from her, still not understanding, but he didn't have to look long because Rachel continued to yell.

"Paris? Paris? Are you serious? We are going to Paris?" Rachel had commenced jumping up and down, hugging everybody in her vicinity.

"We told you guys that we had money saved up for Rachel's wedding. A lot of money saved up in fact. And the least we could do with some of the money was buy a proper honeymoon."

Noah's mouth kept silently opening and closing itself. The farthest he had been from home was a brief jaunt up to Canada to visit some relatives. "I don't even know what to say."

"There's nothing really to say," Dave said happily. "We have everything taken care of for you guys. We got lucky that both of you had your passports. That made the whole thing simple. We booked a room at the Hilton in Columbus for tonight. Then you have an early flight out tomorrow. We booked you guys at a small historic hotel for a week. We have deposited money into Rachel's bank account for spending money. If it gets low at all over the week we will put more in no problem. With the help of your friend Kurt and Mercedes you are also completely packed for the week. Finally, we even rented you a car, which arrived about an hour ago, so that you can just drop it off at the airport tomorrow. We can pick you up when you get back."

"You really thought of everything." Noah was completely dazed. This time tomorrow I will be over the Atlantic, he thought to himself.

Rachel was making inaudible excited noises interspersed with random words such as Louvre, Moulin Rouge, and Catacombs. Noah guessed it was a dream of Rachel's to go to Paris. Personally he just wanted to get out of this crap town and Paris sounded as good of a destination as any. Not to mention it would be kind of cool to see the Eiffel Tower.

Seth broke up his reverie. "We really are so excited for you too. I know as parents we shouldn't be pleased that you are getting married so young, but I really can't really express how happy I am you two have found each other and have taken on so much. We wanted you two to have a proper honeymoon and some time to really enjoy yourself before school starts; because once it does you aren't going to have much time for the romance."

Noah knew he was right about that. Between classes and Abby they would not have much time for each other. Which speaking of Abby. "Are you still going to take Abby while we are gone? We were originally only going to be gone for a few days. Can you handle her for over a week?" Noah didn't want to put too much on them, but there was nobody to watch Abby while his mother worked and the Berry's were technically on vacation right now.

"Oh of course," Dave replied easily. "We are really excited about this week. We have been looking forward to it for weeks and Seth has tons of activities planned for us to do."

Noah went through everything again in his head, but it sounded like everything was planned out perfectly. They would arrive back a little later than thought, but that just meant a couple less days to pack. That wouldn't be a big deal. It would be completely worth it. He turned to Rachel. "We are going to Paris."

She smiled, dreamily at him. "We are going to Paris."

A/N: Thanks again for all of the great feedback I have gotten. A couple notes about the story. As for the adoption I got some great advice from a couple of readers about the issue. As I implied in the first chapter Quinn gave up all rights to Abby so it's completely kosher that Rachel adopts Abby. That will be discussed more in the fifth chapter. The song that they dance to in their wedding is The Next Ten Minutes from The Last Five Years, an amazing off broadway musical. I highly recommend it. I have a link to Rachel's wedding dress in my profile. I really tried to keep things chill. In all reality this is pretty much my dream wedding and I kind of pushed it on these two, but I think it actually fits so oh well. There are two more chapters. The next one will take place 4ish years in the future.

Finally, is there anybody interested in being my Beta reader? I keep looking back at my chapters and catching mistakes. I really would appreciate somebody who maybe has a little experience writing or has read a lot. It wouldn't be hardcore, just somebody who can glance over my chapters and catch stupid things like me have a 2 year old talk like an adult. Just tell me in review or send me a pm and I will check out your profile and see if maybe it could work.

Thanks so much for all the reviews and kind words. There are no words for how much each of your reviews means to me. I am trying to respond when I can but I really don't have the discipline to respond to every single one. Sorry about the insanely long authors notes. I promised myself this one would be shorter. I fail apparently.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Rachel flipped through the stack of mail as she opened the door to their apartment. There were a couple bills, a credit card offer, a Netflix envelope, and a letter to Noah from Lima School District. She had no idea what the letter was about. She dropped her book bag by the door before heading into the kitchen to set the mail on the small dining table. She enjoyed the quiet of the apartment. Noah was probably picking Abby up from her afternoon kindergarten class. Rachel grabbed a small glass and filled it with some orange juice from the fridge. She sat at the table and stared at the pile of letters, more specifically the mysterious letter on the top of the stack.

Mostly, Rachel tried to respect Noah's privacy, even though they had been married for four years. She tried to keep some boundaries in place, although Noah said he didn't mind if she went through his stuff. He didn't seem to care, but she thought that by giving him some space he would be less likely to get tired or annoyed with her. He just thought she was crazy.

So, she knew in principle he wouldn't mind if she opened the letter. Her curiosity was killing her and Noah may not be home for another 20 minutes depending on traffic. She gave into temptation and snatched the letter, ripping the side quickly before sliding out the official looking letter. She gaped at its contents.

_Dear Mr. Puckerman:_

_We are sorry to hear that you are unable to accept our offer of Math teacher at Lima North Middle School. Your reputation at Ohio State University of academic excellence makes us proud that you are a graduate of Lima School District. We would be honored if in the future you would reconsider our offer and keep us in mind in your future job hunting ventures. You can always contact us through our district Human Resource Department. We wish you the best of luck._

_Yours Truly,_

_Kathy Smith_

_Human Resources_

_Lima School District _

She could do nothing but stare at the letter as she let it fall to the table.

That was how Noah found her when he arrived with Abby in tow. He sent Abby into her room to change out of her school clothes into play clothes and then she could play in her room quietly until dinner. He went into the kitchen, looking for Rachel. He glanced at Rachel then the letter on the table, wondering what was wrong.

"Babe? What are you looking at?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rachel tonelessly responded.

"What?" He asked, grabbing the letter to examine what had her in such a weird mood. Once he saw the Lima School District letterhead he really only had to skim the letter to get a sense of why she was not happy with him. "I don't really see what there is to tell. They offered me a job at the middle school. They are desperate for math teachers and it doesn't even matter that I majored in Economics or that I don't have an education degree. They offered. I turned them down. It's really simple enough."

"No it's not simple enough." Rachel's voice was heated. "You should have told me. This is something that warrants a discussion."

Noah shook his head in confusion. "I don't see what there is to discuss. This job is in Lima. We are going to New York. I don't see how these two things coincide."

Rachel groaned. "We are not moving to New York! I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to go."

"And I thought I made it clear that we are going to New York. You have put your life on hold for the last four years while I go to school so I can get a job to support us. You have waited long enough to go to New York and follow your dream. We are going."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "That's not my dream anymore. I don't need crowds of people to come and show their support of my talent. I just need you and Abby to make me happy."

"You say that now," Noah said softly. "But, in a few years as we get older you will feel trapped and you will resent me. I can't stand the thought that you will someday hate me for holding you back. I am trying to prevent that."

"Noah I won't hate you for us not going to New York. I will hate you if you make me go to New York," Rachel hissed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Noah scoffed.

Rachel's face turned red and it became pinched, warning Noah that he had said the wrong thing. "Don't be condescending to me. New York is no longer my dream. I don't want to raise Abby in New York. Do you really want to send Abby off to 1st grade on the subway?"

"I will be able to afford to take her to school in a taxi. I can take that job that a professor was talking to me about as a financial consultant at that firm in New York."

Rachel shook her head. "Now who would resent who in ten years? You would hate being at that kind of job, wearing a suit everyday, talking to snooty people about finances. You would hate it."

"Not if it meant that you could follow your dreams and that I could support you and Abby."

"We can support Abby in Lima. And you don't get to choose that you can give up your dream and I can't. Anyways, New York isn't my dream and it hasn't been for a long time."

"What are you talking about? You still talk about being a star. I know you want it," Noah's voice was confident in this belief.

"Oh I talk about it out of habit and it is fun to think about. But, realistically I know the chances of me being a Broadway star are one in a million. Do you know how many people journey to New York to make it big? I can't beat those odds."

"I know you can though. I have faith in you."

"I know you do," Rachel's voice finally softened. "And I love you so much for that. But I don't want that life of always struggling and fighting just for a part in the chorus. I would be wasting the best years of my life. My dreams only involve you and Abby and that dream can be realized in Lima."

"But, we said we would never go back to that crap town." Noah collapsed into a chair.

Rachel sat down at the table, glad to see that the argument had now turned more into a discussion. "I know, but I think that was just a younger more restless version of yourself. Think back to your childhood; was the town really that bad? Would you not want to raise Abby there?"

Noah actually paused to think about it and was surprised to think that his childhood hadn't been half bad. "Well, there is that really cool park that I loved to play in when I was her age. And my elementary school was the shit. I had the coolest fourth grade teacher that had us create toothpick bridges."

"See, I love the idea of us going back to Lima. That's where all of our family is and I want Abby to know her grandparents. And a lot of our friends are still in Lima. We could be happy there. You would be so happy as a teacher. You would get to work with kids and you could coach. It would be great. And I could probably help with the Glee club or give music lessons."

Noah smiled at the thought. It sounded perfect to him. But he still couldn't get the idea out of his head of Rachel center stage with the spotlights all on her. "I just don't know. You are just so talented. Your gift would be wasted on living a stupid suburban life."

Rachel threw her hands up in the air and stood up in exasperations. "I don't know what I have to say in order for me to get through your thick skull that I don't want that life. I can't stand that idea. Do you know how long the hours would be? I would never get to see Abby and…" Rachel hesitated. She stared at Noah intensely.

"What is it?" Noah asked, seeing that there was some sort of hidden importance in her gaze.

Rachel took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. "I'm pregnant."

Noah's whole body froze and only one word came from his mouth, "How?"

Rachel thought about making some sort of sarcastic comment about where babies came from but decided that it really wasn't the time. She knew why he was confused. "I stopped using the pill a couple months ago. We talked about wanting more kids and I really didn't want to wait. I knew by the time I got pregnant we would be finishing up with school."

"Yeah, we wanted kids, but not for many years. You can't be pregnant and audition for roles."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I know. Don't you think I know that? I had realized I didn't want to go to New York years ago, when I married you. I realized my future was with you and where ever that would take me, whether that was New York or not." Noah still was not smiling and that's when Rachel started to panic. "Were you lying when you said you wanted more kids? Oh my God you don't want me to be pregnant."

At hearing the tremor in Rachel's voice, Noah snapped out of it. "No. Of course I am happy that you are pregnant. I just, well, I just wasn't expecting this. Don't you think this was something that warranted a discussion?" He threw her words back at her.

Rachel's face flushed realizing that she was stuck. "Maybe, but I knew you wouldn't agree because of New York."

"And so you were hoping to be pregnant so you could use it as a ploy to get out of going to New York. What do you think our child is going to think when it hears it wasn't conceived out of love but out of a need to prove to me that you didn't want to go to New York?" Noah's eyebrows raised, one corner of his mouth lifted.

Rachel fell back into her chair, hearing the playful tone in Noah's voice. "Do you really want to play that game? What was Abby conceived out of then? Some drunken need for teenage sexual release?"

"You play dirty Mrs. Puckerman," Noah spoke huskily, leaning forward for a steamy kiss. They were interrupted just as Rachel moved to sit in Noah's lap by Abby announcing that she was hungry.

Noah shared a happy look with Rachel before she nodded minutely at his unspoken question. He turned to Abby who was standing next to him. "So, baby girl, what do you think of having a little brother or sister?"

Abby froze then brought her hand to her chin. Her voice was serious as she contemplated out loud. "Well, I will have to share my toys with them. But, it could be somebody to play with. Oh, I could show them my rock collection. And I could make them do things like clean up my room." Her face brightened at the prospect.

Noah laughed before quickly pecking Rachel on the lips. "She is so your daughter."

Rachel smiled proudly. "I know." She slid off of Noah's lap and kneeled in front of Abby. "What do you say baby girl? Are you excited?"

"Yes!" Abby exclaimed, jumping into her mom's arm and giggling loudly.

Noah joined the family hug, reveling in the thought that soon there would be an addition to the family. There was really no beating the happiness he felt in that moment in time.

* * *

"I think you should be the one that tells them," Noah spoke as he turned the non-descript sedan into Rachel's parent's driveway.

"Why? Are you ashamed that I am pregnant?" Rachel asked, her voice teasing.

"No, it's just that I have had my fill of telling parents that I got girls pregnant the last time around. I think you should have the opportunity to the break the news."

"How many girls have you gotten pregnant Daddy?" Abby called from the back seat.

Noah rolled his eyes. "Just a couple, honey," his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You're lying," Abby giggled, completely unfazed by his sarcasm.

"Let's hope so," Rachel joked as she got out of the car. She then opened the back door to get Abby out of the car as well while Noah opened the trunk to grab their bags.

Rachel opened the front door without hesitation and stepped in, Abby running ahead yelling "Grandpa's we're here! Where are you?"

"Is that out our Abby girl?" Seth cried from the kitchen, hurrying into the living room to scoop up Abby in his arms. He spun her in a circle causing Abby's legs to fly out.

"Grandpa, you're making me dizzy," Abby squealed.

Dave joined the group in the front room, throwing a dish towel over his shoulder. "Hi there you guys. I can't believe that with graduation just a few weeks that you guys decided to come down for the weekend."

Rachel kissed her father's cheek before hugging him. "I'm glad you are so happy to see us."

Dave laughed as he pulled Noah in for a hug. "You know I'm happy to see you guys it was just a little odd that you wanted to come down and have a family dinner."

Noah knew they were a little curious what was going on. Rachel and Noah were so excited about the news of the baby that they couldn't wait a couple of weeks to tell the family and they also agreed that they had to make this announcement in person. So they had called last night to tell her dads that they would be coming down to spend the weekend with them. They then arranged for his mother and sister to come over as well. It would be an eventful evening, not that different from when they told their family that they were getting married.

Noah went into the kitchen, joining Dave in putting together dinner while Rachel and Seth sat in the front room. Rachel was telling Seth about their classes and how well Abby was doing in her class. As if to punctuate the point, Abby had pulled out one of her books from her bag and started to read it to the two adults.

A few minutes later a knock on the door sounded through the house and in came Judy and Becky. Noah came in to give his mom and sister a hug, which was quickly followed by everybody joining the embraces.

"Guess what?" Becky exclaimed. "I got to drive us here."

"Oh God, none of us are safe now," Noah laughed.

"How was that?" Dave asked Judy, his voice laced with concern.

Judy smiled weakly. "She wasn't that bad. She actually knew the laws of driving, unlike someone else I know. She definitely was not as bad as Noah when he was learning."

"Hey, I was a good driver," Noah indignantly responded.

Rachel laughed. "You were a terrible driver, and I only witnessed your driving after you had your license for a while."

Noah rolled his eyes. "I got into no wrecks. I was such a good driver."

"You will see just how good of driver you are someday when you teach Abby," Seth added, closing the conversation.

Noah inwardly groaned, not liking the idea of having to teach Abby to drive. Well he had a good 10 years until that conversation started and even longer if he had his way. He decided to turn the attention somewhere else. "Dinner should be ready in about 10 minutes."

"We'll set the table." Seth motioned to him and Rachel. Judy took the opportunity to visit with Abby.

Dinner started uneventfully enough. They sat around the dining room table and enjoyed the lasagna. Noah and Rachel kept sending each other significant looks, trying to signal the other to start the conversation. Noah refused though. He was done telling parents that he had knocked somebody up. It didn't matter that this time it was completely kosher, considering they had been married for four years. He didn't care. He wanted Rachel to do it.

Rachel eventually picked up on how stubborn he was on this and sighed heavily. Fine, he would show them that this was no big deal. "So, we have some news to tell you about our plans for after graduation."

Everybody looked up from their plate and froze.

"We have decided to move to Lima permanently after we graduate."

"I don't see how that is news," Seth commented, confused. "You have been telling us that was the plan for weeks."

Noah rolled his eyes, wondering if he had been the only one not aware that Rachel had their future planned out for them. "Well, I hadn't known of this plan until recently, but I have agreed to the move."

Judy still looked a little puzzled. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but that doesn't seem like big enough news to come home and tell us."

Rachel gave Noah a pointed look but he shook his head in flat refusal. Rachel huffed, but continued on. "There is more. Well, there is no other way to say it really so I am just going to come out and say it. I'm pregnant."

There was a collective gasp. Dave's fork clattered on his plate and his hands flew to his mouth in shock. "We get another grandkid?"

Seth fanned his face. "My goodness I am too young for this."

Becky squeeled and ran over to hug Rachel excitedly, nearly knocking over her glass of milk on the table.

Judy just looked at them, tears filling her eyes with obvious joy written all over her face. "This is just wonderful news."

The family forgot about the meal as they hugged and congratulated each other. It was an exciting moment for all of them and they couldn't believe the next step they were all taking. It took them a while to focus on the task of cleaning up. Judy shooed them all away saying that she and Becky would clean up since the others cooked. Rachel tried to protest but her fathers talked Rachel and Noah in taking a walk with them so they could talk further.

The spring air was warm as they took a walk around the neighborhood. Noah and Rachel didn't really know why they were taking this impromptu walk, but went with it. The questions were mostly normal baby questions, how far along was she and what sex they were hoping for. However, things shifted as they stopped in front of a house a few blocks down the road. Noah and Rachel looked around them in question.

Dave and Seth smiled at each other before turning back to the couple. "We told you guys how we had a lot of money saved up for Rachel's college, specifically for Julliard and that is an expensive school. Needless to say we haven't had to use the money."

"And I told you that you should invest the money," Rachel responded impatiently, not really knowing where this was going.

"We did and it turned out to be a fortuitous investment. And well we decided it was only fair that we spent the money on you, Rachel, and by extension Noah and Abby."

"So, do we get another family vacation?" Rachel asked, still confused.

Noah looked at the vacant house to their right and his jaw dropped, shaking his head. "You didn't."

Seth and Dave caught his gaze and grinned. "We bought you guys a house. This house specifically. It has been on the market for a while and when you were talking about moving back to Lima over the last couple months we kind of just snatched it. Not to brag but we actually got a great deal on it."

She looked at the beautiful house they stood in front of. It was a Victorian style house, painted a beautiful blue. It was two stories, with a large wrap around porch. There were windows all over the house, giving it an open feeling. The extensive yard was already fenced in, with trees all spread out over the property. Tears instantly welled in her eyes and she pictured Abby and unnamed baby playing in the yard while she and Noah watched from the porch.

"You bought us a house?" Rachel let the tears fall. She sobbed and leaned forward, ready to faint.

Noah reached out, wrapping his arms around her to support her. He was having difficulties comprehending what he had just been told. For a brief moment he felt inadequate, like her fathers maybe thought he couldn't provide for his family. But then he really though about the Berry's and knew that was not their intention. They were trying to make a gesture to them and do right by their family, which included him and Abby as well. He pulled Rachel closer, hugging her tightly as the gravity of the situation fell onto him. Tears slipped from his eyes and he really didn't care who saw.

"We have a house," he whispered into her ear and she laughed back in a giddy response.

They stayed in each other's arms for an immeasurable moment before pulling apart and looking at Seth and Dave. Neither knowing words to express their gratitude, Rachel and Noah pulled the Berry's into a group hug. When they separated Dave held out the key to the house to Noah and Rachel.

"You guys should go in and see the house for yourself. Your mom was apart of this as well Noah. She helped pick out the house and she bought the first furniture for the house. You'll see it inside."

Noah took the key in one hand and Rachel's hand in his other. They stepped towards the house together. "Are you guys coming with?" Noah asked over his shoulder.

Seth shook his head. "You two enjoy this moment together."

Noah and Rachel walked towards the house slowly, anticipation filling them. This was their first house. This is where they would raise their children. They would create all sorts of family memories here. The significance of this moment was not lost on either of them.

Turning the key, they took their first steps into the house and gasped at the beauty. The bottom floor was an open layout with each room melding into the next. The oversized windows added to the airy feeling. The walls were light tones that were complimented by the sandy hardwood floors. Turning into the living room they spotted Mrs. Puckerman's contribution to the house. Against the wall was a simple stand up piano. Sitting next to it was a dark acoustic guitar. Noah hugged Rachel to his side knowing that their house would be full of music and happiness. The rest of the logistics of the house didn't matter. In this room, with the piano and guitar, the two knew instantly that they were home.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Life seriously kicked my ass over the last two months and I have just gotten back into the mood of writing. I was a little concerned about this chapter because although I like parts of it, I think it is slightly disjointed. I am aware of this and really saw no solution without making it a tediously detailed chapter. It was all necessary for the next chapter which is already finished, it just needs to be beta'd so expect that in the next couple of days. It will be taking another jump forward.

Thank you to the wonderful Ch3lsBishop and Lil0 for their help with this chapter. Without them it would have been a mess.

Finally thanks to all of you still reading this. All of your positive feedback is heartwarming and really just makes the painful parts of writing worth it. Please continue leaving feedback. I appreciate it so much.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"Mom, I can't find my dance shoes!" Abby yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"I thought you set them in the shoe basket by the door," Rachel called out from a room upstairs.

"I did too, but they are not there."

"Then I don't know."

"Sarah! Did you steal my shoes again?" Abby asked her sister who was sitting in front of the television, enjoying Spongebob.

Sarah shook her head, brown curls flying around her face. "Nope."

"Argh," Abby groaned, stomping her feet. They had to leave for dance lessons in 10 minutes and her shoes were nowhere in sight. She was brought out of this line of thought by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it!" Rachel yelled.

Abby rolled her eyes. Rachel had this weird thing about her and Sarah answering the door. Abby went to the door defiantly. She was almost 10, she was old enough to answer the door. She opened to see two unfamiliar adults standing on the porch. The man and woman were stiff and looked uncomfortable. The girl was a stunning blonde, and Abby felt a tinge of jealousy seeing the long golden strands of hair. Most of her classmates had blonde hair and she wanted to be like them. The man was the tallest person she has ever seen. She had to tilt her head back to look at him full on.

"Umm, is your…"the female hesitated for a second. "Does Noah Puckerman live here?"

Abby gave the female a puzzled look. "Who are you?"

Before she could answer however, Rachel came skidding into the hall. "Abby, I told you I don't want you answering…" She paused mid-sentence as she took in the figures standing in front of her. "What are you two doing here?"

"Rachel? Rachel Berry?" Finn gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Before Rachel could correct him, Abby spoke out. "Her name is Rachel Puckerman." Her hand was on her hips and she looked as if this was common knowledge that everybody should know.

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence as Quinn and Finn took in this new information. Rachel took this moment to try to organize herself. "Abby please take your sister to her room and keep her occupied."

"But, I have dance lessons," Abby whined.

"I know. But I don't think we are going to make it in time. I'll make it up to you later."

Abby grumbled something inaudible but followed her mother's directions. "Come on Sarah, let's go play up in your room."

Sarah perked up at this information. "Can we play with my Barbies?"

Abby rolled her eyes, seeing as Barbies were kids toys and she was too old for such things, although she secretly still liked playing with them. "Sure, Sarah let's go."

The two trotted up the stairs, although Abby kept looking behind her at the strangers that still stood in the doorway. She was curious about them and had a feeling her mother was hiding something from her.

Rachel stared at Finn and Quinn, different emotions warring for dominance. There was anger, sadness, curiosity, and confusion. She decided that the manners her fathers taught her came first. "Would you two like to come in so we can talk?"

Finn and Quinn exchanged looks before Finn took the first step into the house, Quinn following right behind him. They walked into the front room where Rachel motioned for the two to take a seat on the couch. Before taking a seat herself she caught sight of herself in one of the mirrors. She hated that she did not look better for this moment. She always secretly expected Quinn to return. In her imagination Rachel would inspire jealousy in Quinn at the life she lead. Her mental self wore a nice cotton dress, her hair falling in soft curls, with just a touch of make up on her face. Instead her face was bare of all make-up, and her hair was currently falling out of the messy bun she had it in. She wore a pair of loose fitting jeans and a t-shirt that was slightly too tight over her growing baby bump. There was also a lovely spot of jam on the knee of her jeans from when Sarah had hugged her earlier after eating her jelly sandwich. For a moment Rachel wanted to die of embarrassment, but then she remembered this was the life she had chosen and the one she was proud of. She would not be ashamed of her appearances because this was the real her. It still was a little unnerving to see Quinn in a pretty skirt and blouse set that showed off her still perfect figure and not a hair was out of place.

Rachel looked between Finn and Quinn, hoping one of them would start up the conversation. But both just sat their awkwardly. "So, what brings you two here?" Rachel tried to keep her tone neutral, but had a feeling her tone was slightly accusatory.

Finn took a quick glance at Quinn and noticed she made no move to speak. Her face had a slightly far off look like she was still in shock at the turn of the events. Finn decided to speak, his tone still held his easygoing nature in it. "We were home from San Francisco visiting our parents and well we wanted to see how Puck and Abigail were doing. We had been talking for a while about looking them up. We talked to his mother and she just told us that they lived here. She didn't tell us that…well, that…you know…you had…"

"Married Noah? Was Sarah's mother?" Rachel threw out there.

Quinn flinched at those words, her eyes raised to meet Rachel's. "I'm her mother." Her voice was firm and steely.

Rachel laughed, although there was no humor in it. "Oh really? How many diapers have you changed? How many scrapes have you kissed and put band aids on? How many times did you sing her to sleep? How many times did you comfort her after a bad nightmare? Did you see her first step? Hear her first words? See her graduate from kindergarten?"

Quinn looked taken aback by the passion in Rachel's voice. She looked a little shame faced. "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been there. But, I have always regretted that decision and have now just gotten up enough courage to face my mistakes. I want her to be able to get to know me."

Rachel sighed, appeased a little by the apology. "I don't know about that. Noah and I will have to discuss that. He should be home any minute if you wanted to wait to talk to him yourself."

Quinn and Finn nodded eagerly, glad that they weren't getting kicked out yet. They settled back into the couch, looking around them at the home around them. "You have a beautiful house," Finn complimented.

It was hard to be angry at Finn, Rachel remembered. "Thank you. We are happy here."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you guys get to this point?" Finn looked a little puzzled at his own wording. "I guess I mean what have you guys been up to since graduation?"

Rachel giggled at the simple question and all the implications behind it. Finn looked interested and Quinn's face was soft again, a small smile playing on her lips. "Well, we got married right after graduation."

"What?" Finn gawked.

"We had been dating for a year and a half and, well we wanted to live with each other at college but the only way was if we got married. Although Noah insists that was just a bonus reason to propose." Rachel hesitated for a second, but decided she wasn't going to hide anything to spare their feelings. "We got married in my parents' backyard and soon after that I legally adopted Abby."

Quinn nodded and tried to not look that shocked. Her voice betrayed her feelings though. "Does she know?"

"That I'm not her biological mother? Yeah she does. We never raised her to think otherwise. It was kind of just an understanding although we had to explain it to her more clearly about a year ago because obviously she didn't understand how we were different from other families."

Finn squeezed Quinn's hand for support. Quinn forced a smile on her face. "And you guys graduated from college and moved back to Lima. I never would have guessed you would settle here." There was no malice in her voice, just curiosity.

"Noah didn't either. It was a fight to get him to accept a job he was offered at the middle school. He's a math teacher there. I teach vocal lessons and help out with New Directions when I can. Sarah and Abby keep me pretty busy and I have another on the way." She patted her belly proudly.

"Congratulations, Rachel," Finn exclaimed.

"Thanks. What about you two? Last I heard you two went to NYU. I hadn't heard anything since then."

"We went there for a couple years, although Quinn here is the only one that graduated. She got her degree in journalism and we have been traveling since then. She has been doing a lot of freelance work and I pick up odd jobs when I can."

"I got offered a more permanent job in San Francisco so we are thinking of settling down there. Finn just recently got up the nerve to propose," Quinn laughed.

"Wow, it really took you some time there," Rachel teased.

"Well, she kept expecting it and saying how this would be a good time for me to propose. It took me forever to actually get her by surprise, so really it's her fault."

They all laughed and for a few minutes they all forgot about the serious situation that brought them here. However they were reminded as the door opened and Noah's voice called out from the foyer, "I'm home. You will not believe the day I had. Two kids cheated on a test. I had to have a meeting with…" His voice cut off has he entered the living room.

Rachel rushed out of her seat, to stand in front of Noah. "Noah, they came here to talk about Abby and check in."

"Check in?" Noah's voice rose. "Just wanted to check in after what, ten years?"

Rachel put her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look down into her eyes. She held his gaze silently for 30 seconds. She kissed his lips quickly and then spoke softly. "Just listen. They have just come to talk. Give them that. Please, for me."

Noah nodded minutely before turning back to their guests who were taking in the changed man in front of them. He was wearing a pair of jeans and button down shirt that of course was untucked. His hair was a sticking out at all angles, grown out several inches. He was clean shaven though and he had a pair of rimless glasses on. There was little sign of the Puck they knew in high school.

Noah came over and sat down in the chair that Rachel had vacated and she sat on the arm rest of it, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Her hand rubbed comforting circles on his shoulder.

"So, you have something you want to talk about." He tried for a calm voice, but it only came out strained.

Quinn knew it would be harder to win him over than it had been Rachel. "Look. I know what I did to you and Abigail was wrong. I have regretted it since the day it happened. But I couldn't face you two after everything I had done. I finally decided that enough was enough and I wanted to see you two again. I figured Abigail deserves to meet her mother."

"She has a mother," Noah growled.

Quinn took a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. "I know that now. I didn't know anything about Rachel until I rang your doorbell. Believe me. I am not here to upset anything. I just want to get to know my daughter."

"The daughter you abandoned." Noah's voice was threatening. Rachel tried to shush him, but he would not be soothed. "We have been the ones that have been with her all these years, raising her. We have been there through the good and bad and you just want to swoop in and take her away from us."

Quinn's raised her voice. "That's not what I said. I live in San Francisco now. I wouldn't even be in her day to day life. I just thought I could meet her and make myself available if she wants to know me. She has that right."

"Don't even think about putting her in the middle of this. This is about you abandoning us because you didn't want to be a mother and now you have some misplaced feelings of maternal affection for the daughter you left behind."

Now Quinn was truly angry. "Oh don't give me you high and mighty lecture about how I didn't want her. You didn't either. You didn't want her either. You were saying that you would be supportive but I know you were just hoping that I would get rid of it and have an abortion."

Noah's face turned red and Rachel and Finn looked shocked at the harsh words that Quinn had spoken. Before anybody could respond though a clear sob came from the stairs and they could hear footsteps running upstairs before a door was slammed.

Quinn's face crumpled as she realized what she had said. Anger completely left Noah as he could only feel concern for his daughter. He rose to go talk to her but Rachel pushed him back to the chair. Her voice was stern as she spoke to Quinn and Noah. "You two need to work this out on your own…civilly. I will go talk Abby."

Finn rose from his seat. "I'm going to come with you."

They all kind of looked wide eyed at Finn but he looked pointedly at Quinn, telling her that she needed to fix this. Rachel shrugged as Finn followed her, not really seeing the harm in it. The two walked up the stairs silently, Rachel leading the way to Abby's room that was at the end of the hallway. She knocked quietly before opening the door. "Abby?"

"Go away!" Abby's voice was muffled from the pillow she was crying into.

Rachel sighed heavily before stepping into the room. Finn hung back in the doorway, not really wanting to interfere in the private moment. He mainly had wanted to give Quinn and Noah a chance to resolve their problems.

"Oh baby girl, none of that was true," Rachel tried to explain, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and placing her arm around Abby's shaking frame.

"She said Daddy didn't want me," Abby's voice was choked with sobs.

"She was just saying that in the heat of the moment. You know how you are angry sometimes and you say things that you don't mean? Like yesterday how you said you hated Sarah for stealing your cookie, but you really didn't mean it. "

Abby sat up and nodded. Rachel let a tear fall at seeing the anguish across Abby's face. "You have to believe that we always wanted you. You are so special. Remember you brought me and Daddy together. You are the reason we have this family."

"But at first did Daddy not want me?"

Rachel hesitated for a brief second, thinking back. She and Noah didn't talk too much about what had happened between him and Quinn because it was such a sore topic. She wanted to think the best of Noah but she actually had no idea if he had hoped for an abortion when he had initially found out.

It was Finn's turn to jump in. "I know I wanted you from the moment I heard about you."

Rachel looked at Finn in shock, but Abby just looked hopeful. "You did?"

"Yes. I was dating Quinn at the time when she was pregnant. Even though I knew you were not my baby, I hoped Quinn would keep you because I wanted a daughter just like you. I was so sad when Quinn decided to leave you. I loved you before you were born and I know your dad felt the same way. He was so protective of you and Quinn. And I know Quinn didn't leave you because she didn't want you. She was so young and she didn't know if she could be a mother so she ran away, thinking you would be better off without her. She loved you so much and still does. It is just hard for her."

Abby smiled at the thought that lots of people wanted her. She reached forward and Finn didn't hesitate in the invitation to pick her up and hold her, the daughter he always dreamed of.

* * *

Quinn and Noah looked at the retreating steps of Rachel and Finn before turning back to each other. Both took deep breaths, trying to steady their nerves. They knew that anger was not going to get them anywhere.

"I'm sorry," Quinn whispered. "I know I shouldn't have said it and I didn't mean it. I'm sorry that Abby heard that as well. I am not here to hurt her. You have to believe that."

Noah studied her face for a second before nodding. "I know you aren't."

"I loved her," Quinn's voice broke. "I loved her so much that I couldn't keep her. I was not fit to be a mother. I was not brave enough, not like you. I know I went about everything the wrong way but I did it because I cared. And it has taken me a long time to see how I went about everything wrong but I want to fix things."

"There is nothing to fix anymore. Yeah, at the time I was so angry that you abandoned both of us. You knew I loved you and would have been happy being a family with you, but you turned your back on that. But because of Rachel, that has all been healed. We are family now and Abby isn't missing anything, and neither am I."

"I know that. But, I just need to be able to explain myself to her and get to know her a little bit. I want her to have the opportunity to know me as well. I don't want to take her away from you guys and I don't even need her to call me mom. I just…I don't know exactly what I want. But I do know that this not knowing each other is killing me and I want a chance to change that."

Noah sat silently, digesting her words. He tried to push away the hurt he still felt at Quinn leaving him and Abby. Looking past that hurt he knew that Quinn meant well. She just wanted to know his daughter and he knew Abby had always had questions about Quinn, ones that were hard to answer. He reasoned with himself that this changed nothing, but maybe it would be good for both them. He knew Quinn loved Abby and that was the only thing that was important in the grand scheme of things. He didn't want to deprive Abby of that love.

"How long are you in town for?"

Quinn's face lit up at the question. "For a week."

"Why don't you two come over for dinner tomorrow? We can test the waters then. That is if Abby wants you to come over. I will leave the decision in her hands. But if she wants to know you, I am not going to stop her."

Quinn let out a sigh of relief. "That is all I am asking for. I would love that."

"You can ask her yourself. Let me go up and check on them and tell them it's safe to come down now." He gave Quinn a rueful grin before bounding up the steps.

He peeked into Abby's room to see that Sarah and Rachel were playing with a Barbie while Finn and Abby talked about her dance lessons. Noah smiled, already knowing his daughters answer to Quinn's question. But he still wanted it to be her decision. "Quinn's downstairs and she wants to talk to you Abby."

Abby looked up, her eyes wide. But she nodded and led the group down the stairs. Quinn was waiting in the front room and Abby didn't make any hesitations before boldly going straight up to her and sitting down on the coffee table in front of Quinn.

"Abigail, I guess you have figured out who I am from what you heard earlier."

Abby glance at her parents before looking back at Quinn. "You're my mother."

"Yes. And I want to say that what I said earlier was all a lie. I was just mad at your father and I didn't really mean what I said. He wanted you so badly, so much that he was actually quite annoying, always pestering me."

A ghost of a smile played on Abby's lips giving Quinn encouragement to go on. "And I wanted you as well. More than I can ever express. But I was a coward and I thought I was too young to take care of you. I thought I was not ready. Really I was just scared and so I left which was the wrong thing to do. I have always regretted that decision. And I want to face that mistake and get to know you. And if you want to get to know me as well you can."

"I already have a mom," Abby responded bluntly.

"I'm not going to try to be your mom," Quinn assured her. "I just want to learn about you and you can ask me anything you want as well. Your dad invited me and Finn to dinner tomorrow but he said you have the final say. Can we come over tomorrow so we can get to know you better?"

Abby looked at her father who nodded at her. "I would like that."

Quinn let out a nervous laugh. "Oh that's great. I'm so happy." She reached forward and gave Abby a quick, nervous hug. "Thank you. We'll go ahead and get going but we'll be back tomorrow." She stood up and joined Finn to leave. She didn't want to give them a chance to change their mind. She looked back and looked at Abby again, still not believing that she was going to get a chance after all to get to know her daughter.

Abby gave Quinn a full smile. "I'm glad you came back."

"I am too," Quinn said happily before the couple took their departure.

As the door closed behind their guest the family kind of just stared at each other quietly.

Sarah was the first to speak, completely confused about everything. "Who _were_ those people?"

Noah and Rachel looked at each other and let out a laugh. They had never explained the situation to their youngest daughter, not really seeing the point. Abby stood up straight. "I can take care of this." Abby ushered Sarah out to the backyard to try to explain to her what just happened. But as she passed Rachel, Abby reached out and hugged her. "You know you'll always be my mom?"

Rachel smiled down at her daughter, a feeling of warmth filling her. "I know, baby girl. Thank you."

Noah and Rachel reached out, hugging each other tightly. They stayed in the embrace for a few minutes, trying to take comfort from the other's closeness. When they pulled apart they took a deep breath and smiled at each other knowing that no matter what happened they were a family and that was all that mattered.

"Do you want me to help with dinner?" Noah asked Rachel.

"That would be nice." Rachel led him into the kitchen. "So two of your kids cheated on a test? How did that go?"

And just like that they fell back into a comfortable rhythm.

A/N: And that is the end kids. I really loved this story and I am so thankful for all of your support. It has kept me posting. This is probably the fastest I have ever finished this story and it feels good. I give a lot of credit to you readers for being so encouraging. I hope you all liked it and for those hoping for Finn and Quinn making an appearance I hope it lived up to your expectations. I tried to not make Quinn horrible, because I actually really like her and I hate when people portray her as a bitch. I honestly think she is just really insecure. Anywho, please leave any feedback you have on the story.

I have another Glee story I am working on, but it probably won't be posted for quite a while because it is slow going, it is much angstier than this.

Finally a huge thanks to Alicia who beta'd this. She was so helpful editing this for me. Thank you!


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